Be a Student of Teaching

The educational studies department at Ripon College has two main goals: to promote the study of educational processes, institutions and thought; and to prepare highly qualified teachers for elementary and secondary classrooms. Courses and programs examine education as an essential and complex social process that occurs in formal and informal teaching-learning situations. While the department is dedicated to the preparation of effective teachers, we invite and encourage other students to take courses to develop greater understanding of educational issues and concerns.

Teacher education programs at Ripon prepare students for work as elementary (grades 1-6), middle level (grades 5-9) and secondary (grades 9-12) teachers. The educational studies department also offers K-12 certification programs in music and physical education.

Be a Teacher of Students

While it certainly is true that good teachers are always in demand, it also is true that changes in the economy, government funding for education, regional population shifts and family lifestyles affect employment trends for teachers. Ripon graduates have success finding teaching jobs, in part, because faculty work closely with students to help them plan programs and conduct job searches geared toward current employment trends.

Some Ripon graduates with teacher certification have elected to take advantage of opportunities for work abroad in the Peace Corps. Others are using their teaching skills in service and business settings. An increasing number of agencies and institutions seek teachers to staff their educational programs.

An additional career route for certified teachers is graduate school. Master's degree-level programs enable students to add areas of certification like special education, early childhood education or bilingual/bicultural education. Such specialized expertise often opens new opportunities for securing a teaching position.